Monday’s winter weather did not stop California cowboy Johnny Warnshuis, 44, from packing up his horses and riding from Russellville to Circle C Ranch in Blackwell.

Warnshuis left Redding, Calif., in March 2011 with two horses, $40 in his pocket and a message to share with others. His mother, Sally Warnshuis, was diagnosed in 2010 with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. The disorder affects one out of every 100,000 people and the symptoms can appear mild at first, advancing rapidly. Sally’s symptoms advanced rapidly, leaving her paralyzed from her eyes down.

Medical bills soon bankrupted the California contractor.

“I was frustrated with humanity,” Warnshuis said. “My mother was sick. I’ve been a contractor for 22 years, and I couldn’t find work. I just wanted to dig a hole in the mountains.”

Warnshuis sold his home and truck to pay for senior housing for his mother and left Redding with all he had left: His horses.

The cowboy and his horses have traveled across nine states, raising money and awareness about GBS and other diseases.

“I’m doing this for my mother,” Warnshuis said. “And everyone else like her. I want to help raise awareness about GBS and other life threatening illnesses.”

Warnshuis said traveling through the Nevada desert was rough; both he and the horses lost weight.

“I spent about four and a half months in the desert not seeing anyone and running low on supplies,” he said. “And then I finally got past that and began meeting people. It just kind of snowballed from there.”

Warnshuis travels around 30 miles each day, but said there is no specific plan or route.

“This is really a fly by the seat of your pants operation,” he said. “I travel as far as I can each day. Today, I’m not getting very far because of the weather, but I try to ride each day.”

He shares his mother’s story with everyone he meets. Carol Patterson of Center Valley learned about Warnshuis on the Arkansas Trail Riders Association’s Facebook page and offered him and his horses a place to stay Sunday evening.

“He needed a place to stay and I had a place,” Patterson said. “I mean how many times in your life are your going to meet someone like him. I believe in his cause and want to support him any way I can.”

Patterson called ahead to the Circle C ranch in Blackwell to make arrangements for Monday, and said she hoped people would continue to follow his cause and offer assistance.

Warnshuis said he has stayed in hay barns, horse trailers, roping arenas and a few homes along the way, but his first priority is the horses — his pack horse, Sandy, a Nevada mustang, and his mount, Boog, a black and white paint rescue.

“Any donations along the way go first to provide for the horses and what little expenses I have,” he said. “The rest goes straight to charity.”

Warnshuis said the kindness of people during his journey renewed his faith in humanity and helped him see the good in a bad situation.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” he said. “But everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. Sometimes you have to go through the bad to appreciate the good.”

Warnshuis is traveling on U.S. Highway 64 before crossing the Mississippi River into Tennessee. His journey will end at New York’s Times Square in June or July.

“I have to be in Nashville by April 17 to meet my fiancee,” he said. “And then she’s joining me in Times Square.”

Warnshuis and his fiancee plan to wed in New York at the end of his journey.